Staple strip



Dec. 10, 1940; s. M. OBSTFELD 2,224,461

STAPLE STRIP Filed Feb. 7, 1938 INVENT ATTORNEY:

Patented Dec. 10, 1940 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE STAPLE STRIPApplication February 7, 1938, Serial No. 189,062

2 Claims.

This invention relates to stapling devices and is herein disclosed asembodied in frozen staples used in stapling together sheets of paper.

In the older types of machines it was possible 5 by a glance to note theposition of the feed devices, and thus be informed of the approximatenumber of available staples remaining in the machine.

Modern stapling machines have been more and 10 more of types which coveror hide the working parts of the machine-the various springs, driveplungers, feed mechanisms, and magazines being covered by the sheetmetal structure of the body of the machine, or by special shields, whicheliminate angular projections and help to make the machine dust proofand weather proof.

The sheet metal forms and shields usually serve to increase theruggedness of the modern machines while keeping them conveniently lightfor handling in an office but they make it impossible by a quick glanceat the machine to readily ascertain approximately how many staplesremain in the magazine of the machine.

As a result the user may be operating the machine and drive the laststaple without realizing that the supply is exhausted and continue tostrike three orfour blows on the drive plunger without driving andclinching a staple.

Sometimes no notice is taken of the failure to fasten papers together,with the result that papers supposed to be fastened together are filedseparately in separate files and thus lost track of with consequent lossof time and even more serious consequences.

At other times the user notices that no staples are being driven andclinched and thoughtlessly condemns the machine, possibly physicallyabusing it sufiiciently to break it, or, more often, declaring themachine to be useless and demanding that it be discarded or returned tothe maker as defective.

Another serious consequence arises when the last staple is used and itis discovered that no available stock is on hand to draw upon, but thatfurther work must be delayed until a new supply is obtained from themaker or dealer.

It has been proposed to overcome these difiiculties by causing themachine to operate an audible signal, as by ringing a bell, when thelast staple is used or one near the last, but such a device often failedto attract attention in the noise of a busy office, and, moreover,introduced complexities into the devices, making them more likely to getout of order.

According to the present invention these and other difilculties andobjections are overcome and means are provided for notifying the stapleuser that the staple magazine needs replenishing or needs replenishingshortly. And for this purpose the staples need not be frozen" to- 5gether but may be in the older cartridge form.

To effect this end, in the form shown, the frozen strips of staplesready to be inserted in the machine carry a device at or near one orboth ends of the strip indicating that the strip is nearly exhausted.The device may be carried by any form of staple strip and may take anyadequate form.

The invention is shown as used in connection with a modification oi themachine shown in Drypolchers patent application, Serial Number 744,654.

Although it is possible to utilize a device in the form of a distortedstaple, it is usually preferable to use smooth staples that fitidentically 2 into the device, and to provide visible indicators in theform of colored crowns for staples at or near the strip end. It ispossible to so mark or color the crowns of successive staples that themarks, color dots or tints indicate how nearly exhausted is the supplyof staples in the machine, or merely that the last staple has been usedor that a defined supply is available.

Other features and advantages will hereinafter appear.

In the accompanying drawing,

Figure 1 is a perspective side view of that conventional form ofstapling machine showing the present invention in use.

Figure 2 is a perspective view of a unit strip of frozen staplesembodying one form of the invention.

Figure 3 is a perspective view showing successively some of the staplesclinched at intervals in a paper sheet.

Figure 4 is a perspective view of .a unit strip of frozen staplesembodying another form of the invention. 4

Figure 5 is a perspective of some of the staples of Figure 4 clinched asin Figure 3.

In the form of the invention shown in Figure 2 upwards of fifty staplesl0, each including a crown H and legs I! and I3 are frozen together byan adhesive in any well-known or desired manner, so that they form aneasily handled unit strip l4. The strip of "frozen" staples usually doesnot break apart when inserted into the magazines l5 of a standardstapling machine l6, but each staple I0 is easily detached when thedriving blade I! drives the end staple downwardly so that its legsclinch on the clincher plate ll.

Upon return of the blade I! by pressure of its spring, not shown, thestrip or unit I feeds forward on the magazine l5 under pressure of itsspring not shown, to bring another staple under the blade II.

In the form shown, when about ten staples l remain in the magazine I5,the staple under the blade I! is one of which the ends of its crown IIare marked or colored, so that when the blade is driven down and thatstaple clinched on a sheet I 9, it shows a mark or spot 20 asillustrated in Figure 3 at each end of its crown I I.

When the next staple I0, or the next but one, is clinched as shown inFigure 3, it shows marks 2! longer than the spots 20. These spots orlonger marks 2| warn the user that an additional supply of staples willbe needed shortly, and the further length of the marks 22 on anotherclinched staple indicate the nearer approach to the last staple.

Successive staples 23, 24, 25 and 26 show longer and longer marks 22,and, incidentally closer together, until the last staple 26 shows acontinuous mark covering the whole staple crown.

This warns the user that no further stapling is possible without afurther supply of staples.

In the stapling machine shown, the needed additional staples may beinserted long before the first supply is exhausted. But ordinarily theadditional staples will not be inserted until the first mark 20 showsthe approaching need for them.

An alternative form of the invention which is shown in Figure 4 providesan indicating system adapted to always indicate how many unused staplesstill remain in the stapling machine.

To this end the staple II, near the center of the strip I4 is shown asprovided with end marks 21 on the crown, and the adjacent staple I withmarks 28 almost at the ends of the crown, and so on successively nearertogether until the end staple bears a central mark 29, indicating thatthe last staple has been used, the relationship of the marks beingdiagrammatically shown in Figure on staples clinched in a sheet 30.

The marks shown in both Figures 2 and 4 on the staple crowns runsymmetrically toward each end of each strip H, thus making it immaterialwhich end of a strip is placed adjacent the driving blade end of themagazine. The staples themselves may carry the signalling devices suchas the color forming the spots 20, 2|, 22, 28, 29 or, when color isused, the spots may b applied as part of the somewhat fragile adhesivewhich "freez'es the individual staples together, or may be applied overthe adhesive.

Having thus described certain embodiments of the invention, what isclaimed is:

1. In a staple strip, a series of staples, indicating devices carried byfinal staples of the strip to indicate that one of the final staples hasbeen driven, so that as a stapling machine is operated to feed forwardand drive concealed staples the last staple on the strip will indicatethat it is the final staple.

2. In a staple strip, a series of staples, indicating devices carried byseveral staples of the strip indicating by position the position of theseveral staples in the strip, so that as a stapling machine is operatedto feed forward and drive concealed staples the driven staple indicatesapproximately the number of staples remaining in the strip.

SOLOMON MICHAEL OBSTFELD.

